Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was unaware of Ikishima Midari's thoughts; otherwise, he would have definitely run away immediately.
Mikura was still angry and didn't give Ayanokoji Kiyotaka any face, unapologetically tearing him down.
"This guy actually has his eye on a girl and is deliberately using the casino to lure that girl into gambling her body with him. He's already used her up and she's working for free at the casino now."
"Hey... as comrades, how could you betray me?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't expect to be "betrayed" by his comrade. He clutched his chest, looking at Mikura with "heartfelt pain."
Moreover, her way of expressing it was clearly problematic, right?
What did she mean by 'used her up'? He hadn't even had a chance to do anything yet!
Mikura crossed her arms, let out a triumphant hum, and turned her face away, a smile playing on her lips.
This was her counterattack. Who told him to look down on her?
"So, you like women..."
Ikishima Midari finally discovered Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's "weakness," her eyes lit up, and she said without hesitation: "How about this? As long as you win this round, I'll be yours tonight. I'll cooperate with whatever you want to do with me!"
"Hey... are you serious? Mikura was just joking. We two just have a simple friendship..."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka tried to explain, but Ikishima Midari seemed not to hear him, looking at him with fanatical eyes.
"Just my body isn't a good enough stake... Oh, right, there's also the casino! I'll bet my casino against yours! No, I'll bet two casinos for your one casino, plus the five million owed to the Student Council!"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka finally understood why so many people were willing to pay the price of a casino to gamble with Ikishima Midari. She was very good at raising the stakes; if one chip wasn't enough, she'd add another until she enticed you.
His side's stake was an unpopular casino, while her side's stake was two casinos, plus the five million owed to the Student Council, plus... her body.
The stakes on both sides were completely unfair, but as long as both parties agreed, the gamble would be established and would be supervised and forcibly executed by the Student Council.
Even if he wanted to back out, it would be impossible.
What kind of person do you take me for? Do I really agree to any conditions?!
—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka originally wanted to scold Ikishima Midari loudly like this, but she offered too much.
Thinking that he had a guaranteed win anyway, even with a game like Quick Knife Finger Stab, he was bound to win, so Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded and agreed.
"Alright... I agree to gamble with you."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't coveting her body; he just wanted to "teach" Ikishima Midari a lesson, to let her know that girls shouldn't play such dangerous games, and shouldn't just put their bodies on the gambling table...
Hmm, that's right, that's it.
Ayanokoji agreed to this gamble with the compassionate heart of an educator.
Mikura, beside him, cast a cold glance: "You've always wanted to snatch my collar. As expected, you were eyeing my body... Scum."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was at a loss for words.
Saying he truly wasn't interested in Mikura, even he wouldn't believe it.
Saying he really liked her, that wasn't it either... How should he put it? It was more like affection for a pet.
When you see cute cats or dogs, you always want to get close to them, right?
Seeing Ayanokoji Kiyotaka agree to the gamble, Ikishima Midari, with an excited smile, immediately picked up the knife and was about to start: "Since you've agreed, it's best of five, first to three wins. Let's start now. I'll go first..."
"Wait!" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quickly stopped her, "Why is it best of five, first to three wins? Isn't it a single game to decide the winner?"
"Such an enjoyable moment, of course, it has to be prolonged. How can just one time be enough?" Saying this, Ikishima Midari's face showed a look of intoxication, and she lightly licked the dagger in her hand.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression became somewhat grim.
The reason Ayanokoji Kiyotaka agreed was because he had a guaranteed system, which meant he would definitely win one round.
Coupled with the card item obtained from the system bug, he had two guaranteed win opportunities.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had thought it would be a single game to decide the winner, or at most best of three, first to two wins, but Ikishima Midari immediately proposed five games.
Even if he could guarantee one win, if the opponent dragged out the game with best of five, first to three wins, or best of seven, first to four wins, or even more, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would be unable to continue.
This was the weakness of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's guaranteed system.
Even if Ayanokoji Kiyotaka used all his guaranteed wins, there was still one time when he had to achieve victory himself.
In other words, he now had to spread his five fingers, concentrate his mind to make the dagger dance between his fingers, experiencing the pain that could come at any moment.
Ikishima Midari had previously said that she liked both sides to experience the thrill of losing something precious.
Whether she intended it or not, she succeeded in pulling Ayanokoji off his pedestal of guaranteed victory, placing him on the same scale as herself.
Ikishima Midari saw Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's grim expression. She let out a snickering laugh, reaching out to gently caress Ayanokoji's cheek: "You promised me. As a man, you wouldn't want to go back on your word, would you?"
"I'm not thinking of regretting it..." Ayanokoji pushed her hand away, took a deep breath: "It's just that I've never tried it before. Can I try it first?"
"Then let me give you a demonstration first."
Saying this, Ikishima Midari spread her left hand flat on the table. A cutting board was placed on the table to prevent the dagger from leaving marks.
She twirled the knife in her right hand, then poked the tip of the knife on the outer side of her thumb.
"...Watch closely!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled out the dagger and quickly stabbed it between her thumb and index finger, then pulled it out again to poke the outer side of her thumb, then lifted it again, letting the dagger fall between her index and middle fingers.
She continued this cycle, poking the outer side of her thumb once, then between two fingers once, repeating the cycle.
It seemed that to demonstrate to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Ikishima Midari's speed was not fast, but it still made Mikura watching from the side feel her heart pound.
She seemed to thoroughly enjoy the feeling of potentially getting injured at any moment. After finishing a round of finger-stabbing, she looked up, her face flushed, breathing heavily, with a joyful smile.
"Each round lasts thirty seconds. During this time, whoever completes more cycles is the winner. If you stab your hand during the process, you can stop, or you can restart a round, but that round will have to be recalculated from the beginning."
"The rules are simple, do you understand?" Seeming happy about the upcoming match, Ikishima Midari smiled pleasantly and placed a dagger in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"This knife isn't sharpened, so as long as you don't use too much force, even if you stab yourself, there shouldn't be any serious injuries."
Mikura, beside him, leaned closer to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, worriedly whispering: "Hey... maybe you shouldn't compete with her. If you get hurt, it's not worth it at all."
"You care about me that much?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at her, asking with a smile.
-------------------------------
Curious about what happens next?
You can read up to 30–40 chapters ahead right now on Patreon!
👉 [patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support! 💕